Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

I'll gather current perspectives and data to assess how the Trump record is viewed.

Whether Donald Trump is improving the U.S. government depends on how "improving" is measured - efficiency, size, cost, services, trust, and legality are judged differently by different groups.

What the Trump Administration Claims

The White House presents its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as its central reform effort. The administration states:

•Government efficiency efforts have saved an estimated $215 billion, equivalent to $1,335 per U.S. taxpayer.

•President Trump issued a variety of Executive Actions to eliminate wasteful spending and restore radical transparency in government.

•The administration developed "retire.opm.gov," a website that automates federal retirements after decades of retirement records being stored in an underground mine.

•It forced bureaucrats back into the office, with the percentage of federal employees working in-office increasing 30% in the second quarter of 2025.

•It shrunk the federal bureaucracy by 10% in 2025.

•It has cut 129 regulations for every 1 new rule it's issued.

The DOGE executive order, issued Jan. 20, 2025, reorganized the U.S. Digital Service as the U.S. DOGE Service to "modernize Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity", including directing agencies to build centralized tech systems to record all payments issued through each agency contract or grant.

Supporters argue these steps reduce waste, shrink the federal footprint, and modernize outdated systems.

What Polling Shows About Public Perception

Polling indicates a majority of Americans do not see the government as working better under Trump:

•A Pew Research Center survey conducted Aug. 4-10 among 3,554 adults found that a 53% majority say Trump is making the federal government work worse, while only about half as many (27%) say he is making the government work better. A separate Pew analysis phrased it as A narrow majority of Americans (53%) say Trump is making the way the federal government works worse, nearly double the share who say he is making it better (27%).

•Two-in-ten say he is making things about equally better and worse.

•While a 55% majority of Republicans say Trump is making the government work better, that is 21 percentage points lower than the share who expected he would make things better six months ago. Democrats (87%) overwhelmingly say Trump is making the way the government works worse.

Overall job approval is also low by historical standards:

•President Donald Trump's job approval rating – 34% as of mid-July – has changed little over the last few months. But it is lower than his rating at a comparable point in his first term – 40% in August 2018 – and those of most other recent presidents at similar stages.

•The decrease in Trump's approval ratings during his current administration has primarily come from Republicans and Republican-leaning independents: Today, 69% approve, down from 84% in February 2025.

•In April 2025, Trump's approval stood at 40%, and Americans mostly disapproved of his tariffs and government cuts.

A Pew report summarized: Far more say President Trump is making the way the federal government works worse than making it better.

Criticisms and Legal Challenges

Critics raise several concerns:

•Legal challenges: The lawsuits are pushing federal courts into uncharted territory as they assess the legality of Trump's directives, from voluntary resignation offers and plans for agencies to conduct mass terminations of civil servants.

•A California federal judge found Trump's February executive order calling for a radical reorganization of the federal workforce likely violates the Constitution, while later The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for President Donald Trump's plans to downsize the federal workforce, showing the issue is contested in courts.

•Polls have also found growing mistrust of government information and concerns that attempts to dismantle parts of the federal bureaucracy may have affected public confidence.

•Surveys also note declining confidence in Trump to handle specific issues and a partisan gap of 78 percentage points in approval.

Context

As with any presidency, evaluations of whether government is "improved" often split along partisan lines and depend on priorities:

•If improvement is defined as smaller government, lower regulatory burden, workforce reduction, and claimed cost savings, the administration points to its DOGE metrics as evidence of improvement.

•If improvement is defined as government effectiveness, stability of services, adherence to existing legal procedures, and public trust, polling suggests a majority of Americans currently view the changes negatively.

For a complete picture, it is useful to compare administration claims, independent audits of claimed savings, court rulings, agency performance data, and polling trends over time rather than relying on a single metric.

Citations (3)

1whitehouse.govGovernment
Reform Government (DOGE) – The White House
Backs: “The White House presents its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as its central reform effort. The administration states: Government efficiency efforts have saved an estimated $215 billion, equivalent to $1,335 per U.S.”
2pewresearch.orgNonprofits and think tanks
Views of Trump’s policies and confidence in ability to handle issues | Pew Research Center
Backs: “4-10 among 3,554 adults found that a 53% majority say Trump is making the federal government work worse, while only about half as many (27%) say he is making the government work better. A separate Pew analysis phrased it as A narrow majority of Americans (53%) say Trump is making the way the federal government works…”
3pewresearch.orgNonprofits and think tanks
Trump’s job approval rating is low by historical standards
Backs: “President Donald Trump's job approval rating – 34% as of mid-July – has changed little over the last few months. But it is lower than his rating at a comparable point in his first term – 40% in August 2018 – and those of most other recent presidents at similar stages.”